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Thursday, April 26, 2018

Michigan voters will now decide if Michigan should join states like Colorado and Washington in legalizing marijuana after Speaker Tom Leonard announced the House will not vote on the proposed ballot initiative. Leonard's announcement comes a day after Senate Dem Leader Jim Ananich said that any Republican leader who thought the proposal would receive Democrat votes in the legislature had "already started smoking something."The issue presents both parties with complications. Most Republicans oppose legalization, but voter turnout in November because of the issue could significantly help Democrats down ballot. Democrats mostly support legalization, but they want those votes in November...Polls show around 60% of Michiganders support the idea of legalization, and the proposal is likely to pass.The opposition campaign is led by Healthy and Productive Michigan, an anti-legalization group led by political consultant Scott Greenlee.__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.